


A tattoo for a lost bet - Fd!au

by Theonlygamergost



Category: Fd!au, Minecraft (Video Game), Minecraft Youtubers, mcyt
Genre: Anger, Bit of Fluff, Tattoo (duh), a bit of angst, friendship :D, gambling mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26662666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theonlygamergost/pseuds/Theonlygamergost
Summary: Techno and Skeppy bet on stupid things, and sometimes their bets can have very severe consequences if lost.(This work was initially on my other book "My Fd! au fanfiction" moved it here since this will be a three-parter)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 304
Collections: All of Gost’s Fd!au fanfics





	1. Chapter 1

Childhood friends usually have that one thing they used to do or say when they were young, maybe even a habit they caught together and never got rid of. Techno and Skeppy used to bet on the stupidest things when they were young… Well, they still do bet on the stupidest things, but there is a difference from when they were young: they have some money now.

It was very normal for them to bet a couple of dollars on the stupidest things.

“My bus is going to arrive earlier than yours” Bet

“I’ll finish my homework before you” Bet

“I’m betting that you can’t finish your burger before I do” You’re on.

And these are just some examples, they really betted on everything, and Techno won half of them.

That’s why Skeppy stopped betting too much money when playing with him, literally half of Techno’s income was his won bets against him.

That’s why Techno barely stepped down from a bet coming from Skeppy, he was so confident that he also would bet the stupidest things to gain some dollars.

They didn’t bet only money though, they bet other things like objects or small things they had to do if they lost.

And honestly, Techno was so confident he could win a 1v1 in Minecraft against Skeppy, even though if he lost, he had to get a tattoo. 

He hadn’t played in a few days due to all-nighters for last-minute tests, but Skeppy was worse than him anyway, it would have been fine… Right?

  
  


“You should get something edgy... like a skull!” 

_“I hate you”_

Skeppy laughed as they stood in the waiting room of a tattoo place in town, Techno had lost the bet, and now, he had to get a tattoo. 

“Look, you’re lucky I didn’t _specify_ what tattoo you had to get” Techno took off his glasses and allowed his head to fall into his hands, “I know, if it was for _you_ I’d have a _dick_ tattooed on my forehead” Skeppy laughed again, Techno just exhaled in exasperation, out of all of the times he had to lose a bet, why this one?

The customer before them got up and entered what they guessed was the studio, Techno tensed up a little bit

“Do you already have an idea of what you’re getting? I’m pretty good at suggestions” He announced proudly placing his hands on his hips, gaining a death stare from Techno. “You are the last person I’d ask for a suggestion” Skeppy whispered “Ouch” before both of them smiled.

“To answer your question, yes, I do have something in mind” 

I mean… after passing an entire night up, looking at tattoo ideas, he had an idea of what he could get, he just couldn’t find a photo or a drawing of what he wanted. 

“By the way… “ Skeppy slipped his phone out of his hoodie, “... did you tell Phil about this?” 

_He froze_

_Skeppy noticed_

“Don’t tell me… “ The boy with the light blue hoodie didn’t finish the question, scared of the answer.

Techno sighed… 

_and nodded._

“OH MY GOD TECHNO!!!” Skeppy bounced out of his seat, “ I THOUGHT YOU TOLD PHIL ABOUT THIS!!!” Techno gestured at him to be quiet, Skeppy sat back down.

“Phil would have _never_ agreed to this! I had to do this without telling anyone” The customer and the Tattooist came out of the studio, “Plus, I’m doing this somewhere I can hide it pretty easily” he reassured, but mostly himself. 

“Dude, you sound like you’re getting it on your butt” Techno pushed him lightly in response.

As the customer left, the tattoo artist came up to them and asked who of the two were here to get tattooed, Techno took a deep breath and got up. 

_No turning back now_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I applied a layer of petroleum jelly and put on a bandage, you’ll have to keep it for about twenty-four hours” Techno carefully listened to the tattooist after stepping out of the studio, “To avoid getting an infection, wash it with an antimicrobial soap and water, you can find it in any store, I recommend patting it dry instead of scratching it, put vaseline on it and keep it moisturized,” Skeppy was comfortably sitting on the couch, half-listening to what they were saying.

“For how long do I have to do this? Techno gently placed a hand on his left shoulder, “It’s a pretty big tattoo so...about four weeks” Skeppy’s eyes widened, p-pretty big? Four weeks? What in the hell did Techno get?

“Remember to do the whole process two times a day and don’t expose it to the sun, if you ever have any questions or insecurities, come see me kid, no worries.” Techno politely thanked him and gestured at Skeppy to follow him out, oh boy did Skeppy have questions for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“THERE WAS NO NEED TO GET IT THAT BIG!!!” Skeppy freaked out when Techno had told him the tattoo went from his left shoulder all the way to his elbow, he could have just gotten a letter or a dot and it would have been fine for him. 

“To be honest, I was thinking of getting it smaller, but then the tattooer showed me a design he drew and… “ Rubbing the back of his head, he explained to Skeppy what happened in the studio while he was deciding what to get tattooed. Skeppy calmed down hearing his friend happy about the choice he had made, hoping that he wasn’t going to regret it later.

“By the way… can I see it? Now you’ve made me curious!” Techno shook his head and Skeppy frowned in disappointment. 

“I can’t show it right now, the bandages are on it and I can’t take them off for a day, maybe tomorrow at school” Techno smiled subtly, he will never admit this but he couldn’t wait to show Skeppy his tattoo.

  
  


Making their way to the bus stop, they shared earbuds to listen to some music, right now they were using Techno’s phone meaning that Monstercat was playing it their ears, specifically, “Call me” by Subtact.

But the music was just a background to fill in an eventual moment of silence, they had been talking since they left the coffee shop and the tattoo argument never left the conversation.

“Would you ever get a tattoo Skeppy?” Techno asked curiously, walking side by side with his best friend, his hands were casually placed in his hoodie’s pockets.

The brown-haired boy had his hands behind his head in a very anime-like pose, “Maybe, I think it would be way smaller than yours though” the sky over the city was grey, the sun’s light was barely able to pass through the immense stretch of clouds, summer was ending and school had already started.

The two young boys arrived at the bus stop and kept chatting until their ride home arrived, Techno’s bus arrived first so they waved their goodbye’s and went their own way.

While looking outside of the window, he started thinking about how to avoid any possible questions about the bandages in the bathroom that his brothers could find. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He opened the front door to find two brothers playing cards on the coffee table, both of them too absorbed in the game to greet him.

“What are you guys doing?” Techno passed next to them to go leave his bag into his room, “Waiting for you to get home, dinner is ready and Phil won’t be coming home until later” Wilbur spoke up, eyes fixed on his cards, “Don’t disappear Technoblade, I just need to heat the food and we can eat” Techno nodded and entered his room, opening his backpack to grab out the bandages and soap he bought before parting ways with Skeppy, he knew there was vaseline somewhere in the bathroom and Will had a moisturizing cream he never admits he has and uses, there was no point in buying them since they were at home already, he could just borrow them.

After taking his shoes off and slipping in his slippers, he exited his room to sit at the counter to eat with Wilbur and Tommy, placing his glasses by his plate and rubbing his tired eyes before taking his first bite.

There were about two or three minutes of silence before anyone started talking.

“Tubbo said that he, Nikki and Eret are planning on a movie night next Saturday, they invited us” Tommy broke the silence, the Berry siblings loved doing movie nights, they had a small projector which served as a monitor and a big ass couch where them plus the Pandel could all fit if squished a bit, reason why they usually invited them.

“I already said I’m going, you guys coming too?” He looked at his older brothers, but his gaze fixed on Techno’s left shoulder… was it just an impression or…? 

“I don’t have anything to do so, yeah I’m down” Wilbur replied after taking a sip of water, “You Techno?” 

Now both of their gazes were on the pink-haired brother, who was currently munching on a vegetable. “Yeah sure,” he shrugged it off, “Have you asked Phil yet?” 

Tommy’s eyes were still fixed on Techno’s left shoulder, “No… I was thinking of…asking him when he came- Techno wh-why is your left shoulder bigger than usual?” 

He almost choked on his salad.

“What are you- Oh… yeah, you’re right” Wilbur also looked at his shoulder, welp, fuck.

“I… uh…” Techno almost stuttered, he had forgotten how vigil and attentive to details Tommy could be… what could he tell them… 

Saying that he got in a fight was the worst idea ever, knowing his brothers they would have asked him the name, grade and address of who did this to him, so that idea was out of the question.

Eh, just deny it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” he took another fork of his salad, trying to play it cool, “But I swear it looks-” 

“Maybe it’s this hoodie” he quickly interrupted him, he had to get the attention somewhere else, _fast._

“This hoodie is pretty fluffy and I didn’t use it for the entirety of summer so… “ He trailed off, leaving Tommy very suspicious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day at school wasn’t too different from others, the only “unnatural” thing he had to do was go get a violin and carry it from one side of high school to the other, thank god he usually carried stuff mostly on his right shoulder. 

Speaking of carrying, he had to carry his backpack on only his right shoulder, a thing he despised and never did, but placing any type of weight on the new freshly-made tattoo stung a little bit, hopefully in a couple of days he could go back to using both shoulders normally.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Bandages… vaseline… the soap is already in the bathroom… “ It had passed twenty-four hours from when he got the tattoo, it was time for him to change the bandage, and to do so, he wanted to be a hundred per cent sure he had everything he needed before going to the bathroom.

He grabbed all of the necessary things and peaked into the living room, Wilbur was in his room and Tommy wasn’t home yet so he took a deep breath and silently DASHED to the bathroom.

First thing first. 

Lock. The. Door.

He wasn’t about to get walked in on by one of his brothers, so he locked the door and took another deep breath, he was now partially safe.

Underneath his hoodie, he had changed after arriving home into his only tank top, aka Wilbur got gifted one but he didn’t like it, so much that when doing laundry he had placed it in the stack of Techno’s clothes, so now it was his.

He didn’t want to do the whole operation shirtless so I guess the tank top was pretty convenient. 

Stripping out of his hoodie, he looked at the bandages wrapped around his arm and the deep bags under his eyes: if someone else looked at him, they would think he was part of a gang or something.

Carefully peeling off the bandages, he realized that the skin around the tattoo was pretty red, the bits that were getting exposed to the air felt hot, it was going to be a big problem if he had gotten an infection.

As the last part came off, Techno looked once again in the mirror, the beautiful floral tattoo that he had seen drawn on paper by the tattooist look way better on skin, **_his_ ** skin.

Techno was afraid of regretting his decision, getting a tattoo this big from a day to another was careless of him, but god it looked pretty, he loved it.

Realizing that he was smiling at his own reflection, he shook it off and got back into a more concentrated state.

As the tattooist said, with a glass, he poured over the black ink cold water, his shoulders loosened up at the welcome sensation of chill washing over him.

He took the soap he bought and started making slow and soft circular motions, pressing as little as he could-

The sound of the handle trying to open the door made him jump, _oh no no no, please…_

“What do you want?” he recomposed himself and spoke with his usual unbothered voice, _“Did you lock the bathroom Techno?! Why the fuck would you do that?!”_ , a high voice came from the other side of the door, Tommy must have arrived home from practice and he usually takes a shower right after entering the apartment so…

“It’s called privacy Tommy, plus I just got out of the shower, and no, I’m not rushing, I’m taking my sweet time” A loud groan could be heard right before footsteps walking away, Techno sighed, close one.

He continued taking care of his tattoo with extreme caution, washing away the soap, applying the vaseline, and wrapping it back up again. He threw everything in his drawer ( who usually only had the gel he occasionally used and his trusted comb), put on the hoodie again and shouted at Tommy that the bathroom was free.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that, he went straight back into his room to work on the unusually low number of homework, unfortunately, it was French, so it didn’t matter how much stuff he had to do, it was going to take a long time either way.

He finished around the time that Phil got home, the older brother had the habit of greeting every brother one by one, so when a “Hello Technomate~” arrived from the slightly open door, Techno smiled and replied with the least dead-inside voice he could make: “Welcome back home Phil” 

He was about to close his textbook as Phil’s voice in the distance asked him a question he wasn’t expecting.

“Hey Techno… Why do you have bandages in your drawer?” 

Time stopped and Techno froze, a shiver shot up his spine. Why did Phil open his bathroom drawer?

“Uh… Well… Tommy sometimes comes home with cuts and bruises so I bought bandages in case he ever needs them” It wasn’t a lie, Techno would always patch up Tommy if he got hurt when his protect-the-weak vigilante moves failed him and he got some bruises, his voice was a little shaky but he was so far away from Phil that he probably didn’t notice.

“Huh… That’s… awfully empathic of you… “ 

Techno stood completely still for a couple more seconds waiting for him to find the antimicrobial soap and the vaseline, but it never happened.

He exhaled after taking off his glasses, throwing himself on the bed, turning to face the ceiling.

He didn’t regret getting this tattoo, but for how long could he keep it hidden from his brothers? For how long would he be able to _lie_ to his brother? 

Only time could tell.


	2. Chapter 2

It was quite hard to keep such a big tattoo hidden from everyone, that was probably the only regret Techno had, but apart from that, he was actually quite enjoying his “rushed” decision.

It had passed enough time that he could carry his bag on both shoulders and didn’t have to put bandages anymore, just moisturizing cream and avoiding the sun.

Apart from some curious stares from Tommy, everyone else didn’t suspect anything… well, that was what he hoped.

He was expecting Skeppy to laugh at him for getting a floral themed tattoo, but on the contrary, Skeppy loved it very much. He was also the only one that knew about Techno’s tattoo, so he felt special when Techno changed next to him or took off his hoodie to reveal it, it felt like one of those pinky promises girls made with their BFF's. There was no denying that Skeppy was a bit clingy and overprotective with Techno, so it really felt special. 

But of course, to keep that secret a secret, Techno had to get some habits to avoid showing his elbow and shoulders:

Taking off his hoodie if he had a t-shirt was a bad idea, so if it was a little warmer he had to deal with the heat, nothing too bad. Before and after P.E., he had to change in the bathroom stalls, sneakingly taking his clothes and changing without any teacher noticing, it wasn’t hard.

T-shirts were a no-go, but it was autumn, he would have thought about how to deal with the heat when the situation arose. The only time he wore t-shirts was as a PJ, but he made sure to wear it once in his room right before jumping into bed.

The few time he slipped up and was about to get caught were pretty stupid: One time Wilbur walked in the bathroom while Techno was having a shower, good thing he was on his phone though, so he walked in, gave Techno a minor heart attack, brushed his teeth while checking socials and walked out.

Another time was during P.E. he was so concentrated on dodgeball he didn’t realize that he had rolled up his sleeves, he didn’t notice it for about thirty minutes or so until Skeppy walked up to him, softly smacked him and pointed at his arms, good thing everyone else was also pretty concentrated and there was too much pressure and adrenaline to notice a small hint of ink on his arm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a pretty chill morning, the alarms didn’t go off yet but Tommy was already awake.

After taking his time in the bathroom, enjoying the fact that for once he wasn’t crushed by his brothers rushing to get out before they were too late. He almost went to have breakfast but stopped, noticing that Techno’s room wasn’t locked.

Techno had always had this habit to lock his room’s door before going to bed, yes, Phil allowed him to do so only because all of the door’s keys were the same.

The young Pandel couldn’t stop thinking about how Techno’s left shoulder looked a little bit puffier, it had returned to normal recently but Tommy couldn’t help but worry about his brother: He knew by experience that it looked awfully familiar to a bandage, did Techno get hurt? Did someone beat him up? If someone had  _ dared _ beat him up he was going to-

His mind was too offuscated by worry and anger to think straight, so he carefully entered Techno’s room, he was a pretty heavy sleeper so the chances of waking him up were slim, but he still approached him carefully.

He was laying on his stomach, sheets unpinned from the mattress and his small crown pillow and pig plushie were at each side of his head.

He walked up to the right side of the bed to notice something coming out of his sleeve all the way to his elbow. In the darkness he couldn’t see what it was, but the small strays of light coming from the blinds made it look like… Ink?

Tommy shook his head and took out his phone to use the flashlight, there was no way Techno had gotten a tattoo, Phil would have never allowed it, plus he didn’t tell them about it so-

His eyes widened in shock as he covered his mouth to avoid screaming, it took all of his will power to not drop the phone.

T-Techno had a tattoo? HIS nerdy brother Techno had a tattoo?! 

He shined the light on his elbow again to see better the simple floral design contrasting on Techno’s pale skin. He lightly pinched and moved the hem of the sleeve to find that the tattoo  _ kept going. _

He gulped in anticipation and grabbed the collar of his t-shirt to reveal his shoulder.

Tommy emitted a small noise after dropping to the ground and pushing himself all the way to the wall behind him.

_ What the fuck? _

He quickly turned off the light and placed his hands on his ears, but instead of blocking out noises,  _ he wanted to keep his thoughts away. _

What was happening? Why did Techno get a tattoo without asking and without telling?! 

Tommy’s head started spinning, he needed fresh air.

After bolting out of Techno’s room and opening the window in his room, taking long, deep breaths, he decided he couldn’t keep this for himself, if Phil found out Techno was going to be in huge trouble:

He  _ had _ to speak with Wilbur.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Tommy**

Wilbur meet me in the cafeteria at

lunch, usual table.

**Wooly**

Wtf do you want gremlin?

**Tommy**

I’m serious Will, meet. me.

there.

**Wooly**

Fine, but listen to your 

lecture. Gremlin child.

Rolling his eyes, he placed the phone in his pocket, how was he supposed to focus on the class when Techno could potentially be in big trouble?

Yes, he was mad that Techno had gotten a tattoo without asking and he had gotten one before he did, but he couldn’t let him get in trouble with Phil just because he was jealous.

As soon as the bell rang and the class ended, he b-lined to the cafeteria, grabbing his lunch and sitting at the table he and Wilbur usually met at.

While waiting impatiently, out of the corner of his eyes he noticed Techno sitting alone, reading a book while listening to music. 

Wilbur sat down in front of him, “What do you want” Tommy took a deep breath, placing his elbows on the table and allowing his forehead to lean on his intertwined hands, he started speaking.

“Techno betrayed us, Wilbur” the brown-haired boy bent his head to one side, “and he could potentially be in big trouble, big I tell you” Wilbur shot a glance at Dream who was approaching Techno’s table, sitting next to him and taking one of his earbuds and placing it in his ear, Techno didn’t seem to mind.

He now also placed his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers in a reflecting pose, “Elaborate”.

Tommy took another deep breath and started explaining to Wilbur what he knew. From his suspicion of the puffier shoulder, to the thought that it could have been a bandage, to him seeing the tattoo this morning.

Wilbur’s eyes widened, going back between Techno and Tommy, “T-there is no way Techno did such a thing Tommy, don’t be childish” he tried to regain his composure, “W-Will I’m not lying! You have to trust me it’s true!” 

Wilbur didn’t want to believe Tommy, but he felt that what he was saying was true.

“There is only one way to find out” He got on his feet and walked to Techno’s direction, Tommy doing the same.

“Hello Dream, hello brother” He greeted the two boys, both too concentrated in their books to notice the world around them.

“I need to talk to you Techno, mind if I take him for a few minutes?” Techno leaned his head to one side, when Wilbur called him brother it was never a good sign.

“Oh sure, we weren’t doing anything either way.” he gave Techno the left earbud back and greeted him as he left with his two brothers. They looked awfully serious, hopefully, Techno wasn’t in any trouble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Take your hoodie off” 

“No” 

They had locked themselves into one of the supply closets, the smell of pavement cleaner and bleach filled their nostrils every time they inhaled.

“Why not Technoblade?” Wilbur had a very serious expression on his face, Tommy wasn’t talking, too scared to interrupt any psychological trick he was probably pulling on his brother.

“Why should I?” The older brother exhaled audibly, “You don’t have a choice Techno. Take. your. hoodie.  _ off. _ ”

Was this the end?

Techno took his red hoodie off, revealing a dark grey shirt with a white print spelling “Whatever” with three dots.

“Where is it Tommy” He looked back at the young blonde boy almost hiding behind him, “l-left arm” he stuttered, Wilbur looked back at Techno and looked at him right in the eyes. 

“You either pull up your left sleeve, or  _ I _ pull up your left sleeve” Wilbur didn’t like to be this threatening, but he knew that if he wasn’t, Techno was just going to ignore him.

_ This was the end _

Looking down at the floor, Techno sighed and slowly pulled his sleeve up to his elbow, he couldn’t look at his brother’s reaction, but he could feel their gaze of disappointment, shock and  _ betrayal _ on his skin.

“Why did you get a tattoo Technoblade?! Are you  _ mad _ ?” “I didn’t have a choice Wilbur” “What kind of excuse is that?! Of course you had a choice! Why did you not ask first” “Phil wouldn’t have agreed-” “There is a GOOD  _ FUCKING _ REASON WHY HE WOUNDN’T HAVE AGREED!!!” Wilbur slammed his fist on the metallic locker, making a harsh noise that made everyone jump.

Silence fell between the brothers, none of them was able to look at each other. Tommy was expecting Wilbur to get angry, but not this angry.

The sound of the bell announcing the return to class, made Wilbur straighten his back, “I will tell Phil about this when he comes back, I’m sorry to give him this news after a tiring day of work, but we will talk about this more after dinner.” He unlocked the door as Techno put his hoodie back on, “After school, you’re coming back straight home, even if I struggle to trust you right now Technoblade, I trust you to do as I said.” Wilbur nodded at Tommy to follow him out, leaving Techno to grab his backpack and leave after them.  _ He wasn’t hoping it would go like this. _

After sitting down in his class, he took his phone out and texted the only person he could think of right now.

**Technoblade**

If I die tonight, you get my 

potato farm.

**Nerd**

Why lol

**Nerd**

Don’t tell me Phil found out

about the tattoo

**Technoblade**

He will when Wilbur tells

him

**Nerd**

OH SHIT

**Nerd**

I’ll pray for you to come 

back alive tomorrow at

school

**Technoblade**

You’re not helping me 

Skeppy

The professor entered the classroom and started his lecture, Techno left his phone in the pocket of his hoodie for almost thirty minutes. He was about to place it back in his backpack as he glanced at the notification coming from Skeppy:

**New message from Nerd**

This is also my fault, sorry dude, I’ll help you 

tomorrow with anything I can

Techno smiled and slipped the phone in his backpack, Skeppy was chaotic, but when he wanted, he could be very thoughtful and nice. 

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long to come out, had this sitting there for ages now but it's finally out! Hope you like the ending of this amazing story!

To avoid any more drama, he went straight home. The house was empty though, so he connected his phone to Wilbur’s small Bluetooth speaker to his phone and played a random playlist he had made to motivate him to do chores, took out the mop and started cleaning the floors, humming the songs, and sometimes bopping his head to the beat.

While the pavement was drying, he logged on Minecraft and started playing on Hypixel. 

Tommy arrived home just as the pavement dried out, grabbing a glass of chocolate milk and another glass full of cookies. Bringing them to his room and closing the door. A few minutes later he logged into Hypixel and sent Techno a party invite, they started playing various minigames, winning most of them. 

Until, while playing BedWars, Tommy whispered to Techno. 

_ TommyInnit whispers to you: I’m sorry  _

Techno finished destroying a bed and sat at the generator while quickly responding.

_ You whisper: About what? _

_ TommyInnit whispers to you: About telling Will about your tattoo, I sneaked into your room this morning and I saw it  _

_ TommyInnit whispers to you: I’m really sorry, but if Phil found out later it would have been worse _

Tommy’s and Techno’s bed was gone, they were just flying around as ghosts at this point. But if they wanted to keep talking, they couldn’t have gone into another game so Techno typed /hub and teleported both of them into the main hub of the server.

_ You whisper: It’s fine Tommy, I’m not angry _

_ TommyInnit whispers to you: Then can I come and hug you?  _

Techno wasn’t expecting that. But he smiled and closed Minecraft after sending the last message:

_ You whisper: The door is unlocked _

Techno lied down on his bed closing his eyes as he listened to Tommy’s steps growing louder.

The door gently creaked as the young Pandel stood by the door, looking at his older brother laying down with his eyes closed.

Climbing onto the bed, he plopped down next to Techno, scooting closer to him and hugging him, Techno exchanged the hug, embracing the blonde boy tightly.

They stayed like that in silence, the world around them looked like it froze. When Wilbur got home and went to check Techno’s room to see if he was there, he found the two brothers peacefully sleeping. Wilbur smiled at the cute sight, he made sure to cover them with a blanket and close the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Phil arrived home, the brothers were silent, they couldn’t get themselves to talk or make jokes, the older brother acted, as usual, solar and positive, but he had noticed how Wilbur and Tommy were silent. Something was wrong, and after dinner, he was going to figure out what.

To his surprise, when he got out of the bathroom, the brothers were back at the kitchen counter, all of them had serious and sad faces, “Phil, we need to talk to you”

He sat on one of the stools, “Sure… what is it?” The two brothers both looked at Techno who’s shoulder tensed, he looked like he wanted to disappear.

“I… have made a serious decision without asking and… It’s something you have explicitly said to not take before... “ What was going on? Techno never made dumb decisions, and if he did, he alone came to talk to him, then why were all of the brothers there? Phil was now very worried.

Without saying another word, Techno took off his hoodie, revealing a sleeveless shirt, and the tattoo.

Wilbur looked away, Tommy looked sadly at Techno, Phil looked unimpressed.

_ So you really did it too huh… _

“Wait, you guys didn’t know he had gotten it?” Everyone froze.

“It was pretty obvious, the bandage, the moisturizing cream, the antimicrobial soap, they all gave it away. Plus, we all know Techno hates carrying his backpack on one shoulder, there had to be a good reason for him to carry it like that” The brothers were impressed, Phil could notice the most subtle changes in behaviors, it wasn’t surprising he had picked it up quickly, but still… 

“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m okay with your decision”

Phil brought a hand on his forehead, thinking about what to say, choosing his words to get his point across, he hated scolding his brothers, but they were teenagers, sometimes he had to be strict and direct with them.

“The only thing I can say, Techno, is that I’m disappointed in you,  _ very  _ disappointed” The pink-haired boy fidgeted with the hoodie in his lap.

“I thought I had made it  _ clear _ that tattoos were prohibited until you're old enough, just because  _ I _ have one doesn’t mean you could get it too” Phil sighed, “You’re grounded Technoblade” All of them looked at the older brother in disbelief, Phil almost never grounded anyone, both Tommy and Wilbur now felt guilty for getting Techno in this situation. Techno just accepted his fate,  _ all of this for a goddam bet _ .

“No going out after school and no video games for fifteen days, let this be a lesson for you two too, ok?” Wilbur and Tommy looked at each other, only fifteen days? That was nothing! Techno had gotten a permanent tattoo without permission and he got away with  _ fifteen days?! _

“Now, Techno, prepare for bedtime and go to your room, I need to talk to you more in private. Wilbur, Tommy, you’re free to go” They nodded and got up the stools, both of them flopping on the couch. Techno instead whispered a soft  _ “I’m sorry” _ and headed for the bathroom, leaving Phil the only one at the counter. He took his head in his hands and leaned over the counter, using his elbows to support himself.

_ I hope your reason was better than mine. _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

A knock on the door interrupted Techno’s train of thought, he quickly sat at the edge of his messy bed and waited for the crack of light coming to illuminate his dark room. Phil peeked from the door, surrounded by a halo of yellow light, smiling brightly as he always did, “May I come in?” Techno gently nodded.

Phil sat next down and hugged Techno for a bit, “Let me guess” He started, bringing a hand to scratch his short beard,” You didn’t tell the others why you got it” Techno nodded again. The older brother looked at the younger one, waiting for him to start talking.

“I’m warning you, you won’t like it” the blonde man shrugged, so he took a deep breath.

“You remember when Skeppy had to get his ear pierced last year?” It was Phil’s turn to nod, “That was because we had made a bet. He didn’t believe I was going to get max votes for every subject, so we made it that if I did have max votes, he would get his ear pierced, if I didn’t, I was going to get my ear pierced. You know who won the bet” Techno chuckled when the memory of Skeppy getting super mad at him for getting max votes arose, he had gotten one of his ears pierced, and even if he will never admit it, he loves wearing e-boy earrings. 

Techno had actually bought him his first pair of earrings, he kept a mental note to look at Skeppy when passing near jewelry in case he started staring at a pair of them, he was bad with gifts so this was a good way to get ideas.

“This was… the same… We made a bet and… “ He had lost, Phil knew that Techno and Skeppy made these “bets” and he knew that they sometimes could have a strong penalty if lost… but they were childhood friends, if something was “too much” they could always call it off. So Techno did make the decision to get the tattoo, he just didn’t want to admit it.

“Okay then, I understand… You’re still grounded though” Techno smiled, “Goodnight Techno” Phil patted his brother on the shoulder and left his room, leaving him back in the dark of his room. 

He just climbed further into the bed and fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“There is something going on here, there HAS to be!” Wilbur was pacing back and forth in front of the coffee table, he sounded pretty stressed about his thoughts, not that Tommy would care. He was just sitting upside down on the couch, legs slumped over the back and head dangling off the seat, of course, switch in hands playing the Octo expansion for Splatoon two. Techno bought it for him as his quote on quote “reward” for cleaning his room for him.

“You’re getting too agitated big dubs” The blonde boy shot a look at the legs walking around on the other side of the table, they stopped, facing his direction, “Shut the fuck up  _ Tommyinnit _ I’m trying to  _ think _ !” the legs continued pacing left and right. “Well,  _ now _ that you said I need to shut up I’m interested!” He sat back up properly on the couch, pausing the game and placing the switch down. “What we thinking, big dubs?” He said before rubbing his hands together.

With a roll of his eyes, the older brother started explaining: “You remember when I took Phil’s scooter and drove Techno around town a year before I got my license?” Tommy giggled, Wilbur dead stared at him. “OKAY Okay jeez! Go on!” Will shook his head, “Well, Phil that time grounded us both, understandably, Techno got away with no video games for a week, I was the one driving after all…” He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, “But I had to go through A MONTH without video games and phone! And look at Technoblade! Fifteen days! Only fifteen days for getting a big ass tattoo without permission!” 

Now that Tommy thought about it, Will did have a point, plus, not going out after school didn’t really affect Techno, he never went out anyway. “I know this going to sound bad but…” Will looked at Tommy, noticing the serious look he had on his face, “Do you think… Phil has… favourites?” Will’s eyes widened, a shiver shot down his spine. “Wha-what are you talking about Tommy? Phil loves us equally, he quit college to take care of us, there is no way he has… “ He couldn’t even finish the sentence, the words got stuck in his throat, he  _ refused _ to believe that his older brother had a favourite among them. He just couldn’t.

_ “But what if he-”  _

“No Tommy, there has to be a reason why he gave him less time than he did with me, and he will tell us, I know he will. I’m going to sleep now” He passed by the kitchen and closed himself in his room, Tommy whispered  _ “Goodnight Wil”  _ and headed for his own room, grabbing his switch along with him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From there on, it was a monotone style of life for Techno.

Wake up, go to school, go back home, read, clean, and go to sleep.

He and Skeppy had to hang out at lunches since they couldn’t meet up after school, and if for some reason they couldn’t, they would either discord call or facetime each other and just talk about the most random things for hours, as good friends do of course.

The house felt a little bit empty for some reason: Tommy would stay outside later than usual and Wilbur didn’t try to create any type of chaos or loud noise, the melancholic sound of a soft guitar would fill the house more than it used to and Phil was constantly spaced out, it was like the cheerful Pandel apartment had lost it colours.

All of them had noticed this phenomenon. They all knew that they couldn’t last long like this, they needed the chaos, they needed the cheerfulness and the happiness of each brother equally. Their house was like an echo-system: If something was off, it made an impact on everything else.

So on the fifteen-day, the last day, while everyone was sat around the kitchen counter sharing dinner, Wilbur spoke up.

“Taking turns, let’s say what’s on our mind, anyone wants to start?” Techno nodded in approval of Will’s proposal, after setting his spoon down, Tommy started talking.

“I feel like we are hiding something from each other” Phil froze, Techno’s mouth curved slightly downwards “I don’t know why Techno didn’t tell us about the tattoo, I-I honestly felt betrayed when I saw it, but someone else is keeping a secret now, and I don’t want this to become a normal thing!” Tommy looked away, clinging his fists. “You’re right, Tommy” The attention moved to Wilbur, “ We have always been honest with each other, please let’s keep it this way” Techno nodded again “ I am so sorry for not telling anyone about… you know… “ silence fell briefly while he recollected his thought, “ It felt wrong doing so, but I had no choice-” 

“You did Technoblade!” Wilbur interrupted him,” You know we would have supported you in any decision you would have made! You were always the one to encourage us every time we were insecure about anything, no matter how stupid it was!” Techno took his glasses off, letting what Wilbur had just said sink in.

“I know… But-” He rubbed his eyes, “But what?! Don’t you trust us-” 

“Alright, calm down boys” Phil interrupted them, making them realize what tone of voice they were using against each other.

“I am the one who should fix this since I was the one who started it” He sighed, allowing his head to rest in his hands. 

“I gave Techno a pretty light consequence for what he did, I am aware of that and I’m sorry if that looked like I was playing favourites” Tommy looked at the plate in front of him, how could he have doubted Phil?

“There is a better… or worse, reason for that, let me explain” he looked up at the other brothers waiting for a response. They looked at each other in confusion and nodded, at that sign Phil started.

“You all are aware that I also have a tattoo, a pretty big pair of wings on my back, I’ve never hidden it from you guys because there was no need too… what I didn’t say was  _ why _ and  _ when _ I got the tattoo… and there is a good reason for that, I promise” the brothers felt a bit dumb, why did no one ever think of asking him why he had gotten his tattoo? No matter how long back they recalled Phil always had that tattoo, that pair of angel-like wings who occupied most of the upper part of their older brothers back felt to them like something that always had belonged to Phil. They couldn’t imagine him without it, but it was still shocking how no one had asked him why he had gotten it.

“The reason why I never told you about why I got it was because I was afraid you would try to imitate me… which was the last thing I wanted to happen” Techno tried to lighten the mood a little bit, “Jeez Phil, you’re making it sound like you got it to enter a gang” Tommy and Will smiled, “That’s at least is a reason to get a tattoo” the smile faded away, “Mine wasn’t even a reason, I got my tattoo because the thought of getting a tattoo made me feel free, made me feel independent… me and a good friend of mine were “good boys”, we always did what our parents wanted and had the highest grades, getting a tattoo was the most rebellious thing two sixteen years old kids could do, so that’s why we did it” They all looked down, each of them absorbed in their own thoughts, “So that’s why the wings… “ Wilbur whispered, “To symbolize freedom… “ Techno finished the thought.

When the silence was about to become awkward, Phil got off the stool and grabbed his jacket that he’d left on the couch,” Get your shoes on, were going out” They looked at each other in confusion, “Wh-why? Where are we going?” Tommy stuttered while asking. “You’ll see”

~~~~~~~~~~~

The night’s breeze blew lightly through the Pandel’s hair, Phil was walking ahead of everyone with his hands in his pocket, Wilbur was behind him, trying to figure out where he was taking them meanwhile Techno and Tommy were playing rock paper scissor, mouthing each other insults and quietly cheering. 

The walk went on for five minutes until Phil entered an ice cream shop, “C’mon, order what you want” the brothers looked at each other after ordering their flavours.

They sat down on a bench, each of them focused on their ice cream, Wilbur was leaned against a light pole since they all couldn’t fit comfortably on the bench.

“So…what was this for?” Tommy asked before licking his chocolate and strawberry ice cream, Phil looked up at the moon in the starry sky, “An apology, for hiding this part of me from all of you until now… “ Techno finished his ice cream and wiped his mouth with a napkin, “ I hope you guys can forgive me and we can all go back to when we never lied to each other-” All of the brothers threw themselves on him, “Whoa-! Guys careful I’m still holding my ice cream!” But the brothers didn’t care.

“We forgive you, Phil, in fact, we were never angry at you, we understand that you didn’t tell us to protect us” Wilbur broke from the hug, “Thank you Phil for being the best brother in the world!” Tommy said with a huge smile, the other two nodded and he couldn’t help himself from crying with joy. If he had to decide again between taking care of his brothers and continuing collage, his answer would have never changed.

  
  



End file.
